Reciprocating railway-propeller



ments.

.gitudinally alike, but transversely distant UNITED STATES PATENTGEEICE.

'HENRY BOYNTON, OF HINESBURG, VERMONT.

RECIPROCATING RAILWAY-PROPELLER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 13,078, dated June 19,1855.

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BOYN'ION, of Hinesburg, county of Chittenden,State of Vermont, have invented a Longitudinal Railway-Propeller; thatit is a new, useful, and improved application of any rectilineal reciprocating motive power to the propelling of vessels or Water-craft, itbeing by levers in simple mechanical connection with the piston, whichoscillates them longitudinally to the vessel and which are by lengthenedarms connected with oar-trucks driven upon railways lengthwise of andupon the side of the Vessel; andlhereby declare the followingis a full,clear, and exact description of the operation and construction,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of thisspecification.

Figure l is a side elevation with sectional railway View. Fig. 2 is avertical view. Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation of lever attach- Fig.et is a sectional end View of rails and truck-wheels. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of vibrating rails.

The opposite side and parts, being similar to the shown and describedparts as right and left and opposite ends of the railways, are similar.

In its general construction for a single engine it consists of twoconnecting-rods, match jointed or compass-locked at the piston-joint,extending vertically up to two triangular working-beams, from the lowerarm of one of which branch laterally over leach side of the Vessel oneset of truck-levers, which are connected with the inside oar-trucks,there being two oar-trucks, with their respective railways, side by sideupon each side of the vessel. The other working-beam is attached by connecting-rods from each side of itsdrivingf arm to levers which have anoscillating motion upon the same shaft of the first set, and one uponeach side of them, both of which branch laterally and connect with theoutside oartrucks. The working beams are sup ported on strong frames andare situated lonfrom and facing to each other, so that theirreceiving-arms work vertically in similar relations to the piston,andthe driving-arm to the outside levers Works them in correspondingstroke to the inside levers. Double engines may be coupled by theworking-beam the piston is j ust at half-stroke.

shafts or by diagonally-braced cross-heads to central workingbeams.Another arrangement (not shown by drawings) producing similar results,or an equivalent to the former, may be made by which both sets ofrailways are attached to the sides of the vessel, one being before theother, and by which but one piston connecting-rod and4 but oneconnecting-rod from the first to the second set of levers are required.

` lt consists of a three-armed single-fulcrum vertical working-beam, itsmiddle orside arm being nearly at right angles to the other arm, one ofwhich extends vertically above and the other vertically below thefulcrum. Its middle arm is by a connecting-rod attached to the piston,and its oscillating arc is vertical to the vessel and gives to the otherarms a longitudinal oscillation. From the lower arm the first set oflevers branch laterally over each side of the vessel, and are inrelation to the railways and trucks situated as levers D in the otherplan. The upper arm is by a connecting-rod attached to the main arm ofthe second set of levers, which may bc considered duplicates of thefirst set, and which are so' far distant from the first set as may berequired by the lengthened position of railways. late in the samemanner, though in opposite directions, at the same time. The rodconnecting the two sets of levers should be so arranged as to give it atall times a motion parallel to itself, or the radii of itsconnectingarms should be at right angles to itself when For this purpose.a short arm 01 projection from the main arm of the second set of leversshould extend in its oscillating arc toward the first set,'so that theradius from its connecting-joint at half-stroke will cut the center ofits own axis and be at right angles to the connecting-rod. Thelever-frames should be similar to the river working-beam frame. Doubleengines to this plan may be placed one before the Aother lengthwise ofthe vessel and the connecting-rod to the second piston attached to aneXtra arm from the same Working-beam opposite and similar to the rstmiddle arm, or they may stand side by side and be coupled as for theirst plan.

The operations are such that at each stroke of the piston one oar-truckon cach side of Thus connected both sets oscilthe vessel moves on thelower railways with oars immersed, and the other trucks are at the sametime returning upon the upper railways with oars above the water, andthe oar-trucks at all times govern their designed motion andchanges,propelling forward or backward and reversible at any time duringthe stroke, and are at the extreme end of the piston-stroke at itschange above the water and upon the upper railway level, thepropelling-oars being immediately immersed by the first motion of thepiston. The movements of the oar-trucks and position of the oars aresuch that the oars are at all times vertical to the water, and a linedrawn through the truck-axles at any position when upon the endconnecting-railways will be parallel, or nearly so, to a line similarlydrawn at any position upon the lnain rails. This railway propeller beingadapted to the Cornish engine, so called, or to a direct leverapplication of the piston power to the oar-trucks without theintervention of a crank, I have designed an improved retarding andstopping apparatus to the piston-stroke known as the curved toe-liftingrock-shaft to the crank-engine and an oscillating riding weight orresisting-bar.

The same letters referring to same parts in different gures, A A show asectional side of the vessel; A A', middle or outside rail-frame; B B,the working-beam frame; C, piston connecting-rod; D D d, the triangularworkingbeam with extended oar-truck lever; F., e', and e, (shown bydotted lines,) the second triangular working-beam attached at end of armE by a second connecting-rod to the piston, and at end of arm e byconnecting-rod C to truck-lever F. F has a free bearing or oscillatingmotion upon the workin g-beam shaft G.

The truck-lever D is attached to the oartruck g by connecting-rod f. Thebearing or running Wheels a, as seen in Fig. 4, move upon the railways hh and are confined by guidewheels b under the over railways t' t',making over and under railways, with do uble-wheeled truck insimultaneous duty or action. The truck moving upon the vibratingrailsjj' the wheels nearest the end of the railway pass the rails j andthe bearing-wheels move upon the rails j, which area little longer thanj and vibrate `7 outward for the other wheels, so that the truck movesup parallel to the main rails onto the pivot-rails k k, the guide-`wheels passing under the catch-levers o,which are short levers operatingto detach the catchlevers Z. The bearing-wheels as they pass thepivot-center act upon the upper part of the rails lo 7c, pressing themat once into horizontal line with the upper main railsp p, and are therefastened by catch-levers Z, which are held by springs m to bars n,(shown by dotted lines as back of rail 11,) in which is a catch-recess,and bar n is attached to the standards of the rails lo k by pivot-bolts.The pivot-rails at the opposite ends of the railway are connected byrods or bars P, as seen by dotted line in Fig. l, and bar in Fig.

2, to levers q q, fastened by a central pivotbolt to cross-bar r andattached by short bars s vs to n n, so that. as the pivot-rails ateither end are moved those at the opposite end of the railway aresimilarly moved and fastened by the catch-bars. The truck being upon theupper railways is free to move either way,

and in descending at either end the guide-- wheels pass over thecatch-levers o and at the end disengage the catch-bars Z from railbars nand the truck descends freely to the lower ways. The levers t t and o uare attached as safety-levers, and are so combined that if either one ofthe pivot-rails is moved all the others are similarly moved, and ifeither one of the catch-levers is operated to detach the catch-bars allthe others will be detached. The levers t t are each pivot-fastened atone end to the side frames A A and centrally to each other, and at theopposite end by the short bars au to the levers q q.

' The levers o t* are each pivot-fastened at one end to the side or sideends A A and centrally to each other and opposite ends to catch-bars l.

So far as the described railways or parts have been sectional, theopposite or additional sides and parts are to correspond.

I is a shaft with curved lifting-arms J J and two arms projecting belowJ', which are at their lower ends adapted and in line to meet the spursseen upon the edge of the levers D F, one or the other of which at everypiston-stroke meeting one of the lower arms J will move up thelifting-arms .l J, upon which are riding weight-bars K, as seen in Fig.1, connected by rods or fiexible fixtures to weights or strong springsat the deck or hold of the vessel, such as may be necessary to retardand stop the piston-stroke in connection with the condensing andsteam-letting arrangements. A

The construction of the working beam frame should be similar to those inpresent use, the height being governed by the required length oftruck-levers and extended lengthwise of the vessel, so as to admit thetwo opposite triangular working-beams, and widened to admit side by sideupon the same shaft all the truck-levers, the outside levers having freebearings unless the general arrangement is changed, as before described.The trianguiar working-beams are similar to those in use, except theextended truck-lever arms, which should be lessened toward the truckends, as the strain is lessened by increased length of leverage.

The car-truck frame should be of strong sides and cross-bars and of suchlength and width as to give sufficient number and area of oars. It isattached to connecting-rod and lever at the end cross-bar center bypivotbolt. The oar-arms extend vertically below to the required lengthand are diagonally braced, and has oar-blades, as in present use.

The bearing-wheels and axle-trees are made and attached, as to commonrailroad-trucks,

Y at their upper ends.

with -four bearing-wheels and deep flanges. The axles are extendedoutside of each bearing-wheel sufficient. for a guide or friction wheel,with free rotary motion upon the shaft, and which makes a double-'wheeled and double-acting truck, the outer wheels in oppositerevolving motion to the bearing-wheels, and acted upon by over-railways.The guidewheels may be less, the same, or greater than thebearing-wheels in diameter.

The railways next to the side of the vessel may be laid upon timbersslightly proj ecting or maybe bolted to the side, and the otherrailways, if both tracks are side by side, laid upon middle timbers andouter guard-timbers supported by end frames to the vessel and diagonalbraces above and below to the vessel.

The main rails may be laid level or in slight downward-curved lines, theupper ways being sufficiently high to free the vreturning oars from thewater.

The lower rising vibrating rails are curvilinear and parallel to eachother and give the truck an easy change to its rising motion and an easydescent to its driving-stroke. They are rmly attached to triangularprojecting arms from the same straight shaft supported by end bearingslying parallel to the upper and lower parts of the end rising rail itsupports, and back of it close into the side of the vessel (or out fromon opposite side) its longer arm projecting from it obliquely to theother rail, which rails are distant from each other to correspond to thewheels upon the side of the truck. These rails may each have two or moresupporting-arms from the shaft. The short-armed or end rail is a littlelonger than the long-armed or inner rail and reaching farther to meetboth the lower and upper rails, so that the end wheels will always moveupon it, ascending or descending, sufficient to move laterally forwardthe other rail into line with the main rail before its wheel rea chesit. It will be observed that the longerarmed rail is always heldlaterally back by a suitable spring or elastic fixture to give at alltimes a free passage to the forward wheels from the main track and ineither direction. When thetruck is uponthese rails, they should restupon solid iixtnres at their ends, which are easily adapted, or the mainbearing-rail h may be extended whole, being curved or inclined from thelower to the upper level, having arecess each for railsj and k.

The pivot-rail is made by a short rail and a ixed standard set back fromthe rail on a side projection,.so that the wheels pass the standardsfreely. The standards rising above the wheels and behind the over railsare set at such an angle to the short rails as to be perpendicular tothe upper track when the railis midway in its oscillating are, and thetwo for each side end are attached by connecting-bars It will beobserved by the nearness of the upper and lower level railways that theyare shown in drawings as designed for river steamers, whereas forocean-Steamers the upper level tracks should beA much higher.

The levers, in connection with the pivotrails, are simple in their formrand their operations and designs, as combined, have been shown by thedra-wings and purposes before described. Their positions are notnecessarily as shown, but may be varied to suit conven ience inbuilding, retaining the essential connections and operations. Thus thelevers q q, by which the pivot-rails at both ends of the railways aresimilarly moved at the same time by the truck-wheels, maybe placedmidway of the main railways, and behind them, one on each side,vertically upon the sides of the railway -f rames or su pports. Thepivot-rail connecting-bars may be extended (from one end of railways)and attached to the upper end of the levers, which levers should befastened at their centers upon the same right line that cuts the axis ofmotion to the pivot-rails, their lower end being connected by bars tothe pivot-rails at the other end of railways, and in the mannerhereinbefore described, to give parallel motion to connecting-rod fromfirst to second set of truck-levers. This plan operates by each leverthe pivot-rails upon one side of the railway, and are connected to thesafety-levers, as in the other plan.

The guide-wheel levers which operate the catches (or to which thecatches may be made, rendering but one lever necessary in substitutionfor levers l and 0) should be so placed that the rising-truckguide-Wheels will pass under them, allowing the catches to hold therails, as designed, and the descending-truck guide-wheels pass over themand detach the catches, and the ends that come in contact with thewheels should be thin or pliable.

The curved-toe rock-shaft is constructed as in general use, withincreased strength, and is only worked up at or near the extreme end ofthe stroke of the piston, so as to give necessary retarding and stoppingresistance. It may be so placed as to be worked direct from the pistonconnecting-rod, which rod should have spurs to match the working-armnear its lower end for the rising stroke and near its upper end for thedownstroke.`

I disclaim as any part of my inventionthe working-beam stoppingapparatus as now used upon Cornish engines, commonly called the bumper.

I claiml. The double-wheeled oar-truck, provided with wheels rotating inopposite directions on the same axis and running between upper and undersimultaneous-acting railways, constructed and applied substantially inthe manner and for the purpose described, by which a longitudinalpropeller for water-craft is held or confined to its designed railways.

2. In combination with two sets of railways, one for the forward and theother for the back stroke, the ascending and descending railways soarranged that the fore wheels of the truck run upon one track and theafter wheels upon'another truck, whereby the truck is free to ascend anddescend at either end of the main railways in such a manner that a linedrawn through its axles will be always parallel, or nearly so, to themain horizontal rails, substantially in the manner and for the purposedescribed.

3. The lower rising vibrating rails and the upper pivot-moving rails,constructed and applied substantially as herein set forth.

4. The combination of levers in their adaptation to railway-propellers,by which the upper pivot-rails at either end of the railways being movedby the truck-wheels, those l "'at the opposite end are similarly movedat the same time and the addition of safety-levers, by which if thepivotiails upon either side end are moved all the others are similarlymoved at the saine time.

HENRY BOYNTON.

In presence of- EDWARD BoYNToN,

C. B. NVHEELER.

